AI Insight
A 45-year study of tropical rainfall in Singapore using weather radar and rain gauge data at 100-meter resolution reveals that extreme rainfall events are changing through increased spatial extent and longer duration rather than higher peak intensities. The research combines observations from 122 rain gauges across 730 square kilometers to show that tropical extreme precipitation responds to global warming differently than previously assumed. These findings challenge conventional understanding of how rainfall extremes evolve in equatorial regions.
Why it matters
This research is critical for improving climate risk assessment and adaptation strategies in tropical regions, which host some of Earth's most intense precipitation yet remain poorly monitored. Understanding that extreme rainfall grows larger and lasts longer, rather than simply becoming more intense, has direct implications for flood management, urban planning, and infrastructure design in equatorial areas.
Understand the Science
Editors’ Highlights are summaries of recent papers by AGU’s journal editors.
Source: AGU Advances
Gaining a better understanding of how extreme rainfall is evolving in the tropics under global warming is essential, as this region plays a central role in the Earth’s climate system and hosts some of the world’s most intense precipitation. Yet, despite its global significance, the tropics remain among the most poorly monitored regions, making improved observations and analyses critical for advancing climate science and informing adaptation.
By combining a unique dataset of weather radar observations and 122 rain gauges covering a 730 km² area in Singapore, Zhuang et al. [2026] reconstruct gridded rainfall fields at 100-meter spatial resolution over a 45-year period. They show that tropical extreme rainfall responds to warming in a fundamentally different way than commonly assumed—extremes intensify through greater spatial extent and longer persistence, while peak rainfall intensities remain largely unchanged. These findings provide new insight into how rainfall extremes evolve under global warming and offer essential information for improving climate risk assessment and adaptation strategies.
Citation: Zhuang, Q., Peleg, N., Prein, A. F., Babovic, V., & Fatichi, S. (2026). Equatorial extreme convective storms are expanding and becoming more persistent. AGU Advances, 7, e2026AV002370. https://doi.org/10.1029/2026AV002370
—Alberto Montanari, Editor-in-Chief, AGU Advances
Text © 2026. The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
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Source: Extreme Equatorial Storms are Larger and More Persistent Under Warming